AeroVironment Bundles E-Car, Car-Charger Financing

On Thursday, fast battery charger-cum-unmanned aerial vehicle maker AeroVironment issued a press release tilting the company slightly more in favor of the former than the latter.

AV is already the "preferred home charging supplier" for electric carmakers Mitsubishi (maker of the i-MiEV), BMW (the ActiveE), and Nissan (the Leaf). Now, announcing the "AeroVironment dealer program," AV says it has developed a "turnkey residential charging package" that these and other car dealers can offer to new electric car buyers. Essentially, what the program is, is an offer to work with dealers and cooperate with financial institutions offering car loans. When a customer decides to buy an electric car, he or she can bundle it with an AV "Level 2" residential charging station, a warranty on both car and charger -- and finance the whole shebang in a single transaction.

AV says the program also includes marketing support, training for the dealerships' salesmen, and installation of the charging station in a customer's garage by a licensed electrician -- with optional in-person, at-home product support, subsequently.